Method of making hats and the product thereof



c. LIPPER 1,785,637

METHODOF MAKING HATS AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF Dec. 16, 1930.

Filed March 6, 1930 lnveiztar G Z arejwe 190p e1",

Patented Dec. 16 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? CLARENCE LIPPER, OEIPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, 'ASSIGNOR TO LIPPER MAN- MUFACTURING C0., INC., A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF MAKING HATS AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF Application filed March 6,

My invention relates to a new and useful method of making hats, whereby a substan-' tially integral or a one-piece hat may be formed without anyside seams of any kind, and having but a seam on the top of the hat.

My invention relates more particularly to a method of making hats, whereby a seamless tubular body is formed in a continuous fashion and of a uniform or constant diameter, by

knitting, and of a material and texture such as will render said tubular body of constant diameter, readilysubject to subsequent permanent stretch and contraction transversely or at a right angle to the tubular formation or in a generally radial direction, whereby the diameter of said tubular body may be so subsequently varied and set as to permit of the ready production of a complete hat of any desired formation'or shape, from a suitable length of this seamless tubular knit body.

' My invention further relates'to a method of making hats, whereby a seamless tubular bod'y'of constant diameter is first formed by knitting of a suitable material and with suitable texture, and whereby said seamless tubular knit body is then cut into pieces of suitable length ;'each piece to forman individ- .ual hat, and whereby said tubular pieces are then'flclosed .at one end by a generally elongated and shapedseam (sewed or the like),

- and said tubular pieces so closed at one end are then shaped by any suitable means so as readily to stretch certain parts (as for instance the open end portion) and readily to contract certain other parts (as for instance the closed end portion) and to set or fix such reformations, thereby to forma finished hat of any desired shape or contour, without any side seams throughout their periphery, either in the body or brim. I My invention further relates to a novel hat comprising a seamless knitted tubular body and brim portion, and having but an elongated and shaped-seam on top, but without any side seams whatever in the body or brim portions thereof.

VVith the above ends in View, my invention consists offorming a seamless tubular body in a continuous manner, of a material and texture which will render such tubular body 1930. Serial No. 133,781.

subject to subsequent shaping or blocking,

that is, which will render it subject to shrinkest advantage and for the best results in producing a seamless tubular vbody of constant diameter, which may be subsequently sub-.

jected to a permanent radial stretch or shrinkage, as may be desired. I have also found that certain materials thus formed into a seamless tubular body by knitting or knitted stitches, contribute very materially to the production of the best and most desirable results. Thus I have found that threads or filaments which are not solid in their crosssection, but which on the contrary are relatively light and fluffy and bulky, respond better to my novel method. Thus, I have found that strands composed of a plurality of relatively.,flat, ribbon-like filaments of artificial, cellulose, such as visca, when formed into a seamless tubular body of this character by knitted stitches, produce a texture which is exceptionally adapted for a subsequent permanent shaping by various increases or decreases of diameter of the tube.

Thus, according to my invention, I knit a seamless tubular body of relatively soft and bulky strands, each composed of either a plurality of minute, relatively flat and ribbon-like artificial or synthetic cellulose filaa and attendant set of the fabric is made'possible to a large extent by the fact that the character of the strands retains the loops of the knitted stitches in an open condition during the knitting, and said loops are then sub- I sequently either shrunk or enlarged with an attendant flattening of the entire fabric.

For the purpose of illustrating my invendesired circumference or diameter.

' tion I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been xless, tubular knit body, the lower end of which has been flattened and stitched to form one hat body.-

Figure 2 represents an end view of the tubular body shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a perspective view of the tubular body after it has been closed at one end by -a row of stitches.

Figure 4 represents a perspective view of the same, after the body has been turned inside out, so as to position the stitched seam inside of the body.

Figure 5 represents a front elevation of a block upon which is mounted the tubular body seamed at one end.

Figure 6 represents a perspective view of the finished hat after it is removed from the block in Figure 5. r

Figure 7 represents a somewhat diagrammatic and enlarged view of'the texture of the tubular body, showing the character of threads or strands and the manner in which they are disposed in the body of the fabric.

In carrying out my invention, I may utilize a circular knitting machine of suitable diameter, to produce a tubular knit body of Due'to the character of the tubular body and its ability to be shaped to varying diameters,

it is not necessary to knit a difierent diameter tubular body for each different sized hat. One diameter tubular bodywill suflice for making a comparativel large number of bat sizes. Thus, I may orm -a tubular body which whefi laid flat will measure any where from six to ten and one half inches, that is,

having a circumference of from twelve to twenty one inches. The most convenient size however, that is one which will cover the greatest range or the greatest majority of hat sizes commonly worn, is between eight and one half and nine and one half inches, that is, a circumferential dimension of seven teen to nineteen. inches. The tubularvbody 8 is knitted in a continuous manner, and of a uniform or constant diameter. In Figure 7 the texture of the knit formation is illustrated. Thus the successive rows of loops.9 are formed of relatively flat and ribbon-like artificial cellulose or synthetic cellulose threads,v sometimes known as visca threads or artificial straw threads. The property of the threads 10, is that when knitted into successive rows of loops, the generally flat character of the threads creates a somewhat open loop with the width of the ribbon-like thread disposed transversely to the thickness of the fabric. By this means a comparatively thick or bulky fabric is first produced, which is then subsequently flattened out during .the blocking. or forming of the hat. Due

to this arrangement of threads in a knitted mesh, a great variation or latitude in shrinkage and expansion is possible, associated with an ability to take a permanent set after the tubular form has been stretched or contracted to form the hat shape.

After the production of the tubular body 8, the same is flattened out as indicated at- 11, and while in this flattened condition a seam 12 is extended across the flattened tubular body by a corresponding row of sewed stitches or the like, so as. completely to close the tube and hence to leave a tubular formation with only one end open. Theseam 12 is shaped in a general manner shown in Figure 1, with an upward convexity. The seamed portion of the tubular body, of suitable ,length, designated separately by the numeral 13, is then cut off from the rest of the continuous tubular formation 8, along the line 14, and the excess material '15 between the seam 12 and the line of cutting 14 i is then removed bytrimming a suitable dis-' tance from the seam 12, along the line 16. These operations are then repeated on successive lengths of the tubular body, until the tubular body is cut up into uniform lengths, with each piece seamed at one end by a shaped seam.

The seamed tubular-bodies 13, as shown in Figure 3, are then turned inside out so as to dispose the slight excess material beyond the seam,within the interior of the-hat, as indicated in Figure 4. The seamed tubular blanks 13, turned inside out, are thensuperimposed upon any suitable block 17 having a shape, contour and size of the desired hat, and the same is then placed in any conven-' take a permanent set, I am enabled to produce a highly desirable hat construction having many of the desirable qualities of singlepiece and seamless hand-made hats, and yet beingcapable of being produced at a cost vtionalpress for pressingor blocking the tu- Q 115.

' top seam, which closes one end of the tubular of-a single-piece seamless, hand-made hat.

body, becomes obscured in the finished hat,

to casual visual inspection, so that the general appearance of the finished hat is that I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiments to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended-claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the'scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I hereby claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of making hats which consists in knitting an elongated tubular body of uniform or constant diameter. of strands including relatively fiat, ribbon-like synthetic cellulose thread, and of a texture which renders said body subject to stretch and contracsion, and a permanent set, closing one end of a'suitable length of said knittedtubular body, by a'singl'e elongated and shapedseam convexed outwardly, so as. to permit the blocking of the closed end of the tubular body into a smooth crown of a hat, and-lastlyblocking this seamed, knitted tubular body, to form a hat of any desired shape, devoid of any side seams and having merely a top seam.

2. The method of making hats which consists in knitting a seamless tubular body of strands including synthetic cellulose filaments, and of a texture which will permit of a suitable shaping and take a permanent set, closing one end of a suitable length of this tubular body by a single generally elongated and shaped seam, which conforms generally to the curvature of the crown of the hat, and such as will permit the blocking of the closed tubular body into a smooth hat crown, and

lastly blocking this seamed tubular knit body to form a hat having a seamless and generally creaseless crown portion with a top seam.

3. The method of making hats which consists in knitting a seamless tubular body of a stretchable material and texture which will take a permanent set, closing one end of a suitable length of this tubular body by a generally elongated, shaped seam, which conforms generally to the curvature of the crown of the hat, and such as will permit the olocking of the closedtubular body into a smooth hat crown, and lastly blocking this seamed tubular knit body to form a hat having seamless and creaseless body and brim portions and having a smooth and creaseless crown portion with a top seam.

4. A tubular knitted and blocked hat, including relatively flat, ribbon-like synthetic cellulose filaments, said hat being devoid of side seams, and having merely a single shaped seam on top.

5. A tubular knitted and blocked hat including synthetic cellulose, said hat being devoid of side seams and having merely a single elongated and'sha'ped seam on top, which conforms generally tothe curvature of the crown of the hat.

6. A tubular knitted and blocked hat, including relatively flat, ribbon-like synthetic cellulose filaments, said hat being devoid of side seams, and having an elongated shaped ,seam on top.

7. A uniform-tubular knitted and blocked hat including synthetic cellulose, said hat being devoid of side seams and having merely an elongated and shaped seam on top, which conforms generally to the curvature of the crown of the hat.

8. A uniform-tubular knitted and relatively form-retaining hat, knitted of relatively flat ribbon-like, synthetic cellulose filaments, said hat being devoid of side seams, and having an elongated and shaped sewed seam on the top.

9. The method of making hats which consists in knitting a seamless tubular body of a stretchable material and texture which will take a permanent set, closing one end of a suitable length of said tubular body by a generally elongated shaped'sewed seam, which conforms generally to the curvature of the crown of the hat, and suoh as will permit the shaping of the closed tubular body into a relatively smooth hat crown, and lastly shaping this seamed tubular knitted body to form a relatively form-retaining hat having a body devoid of side seams and having an elongated shaped seam on top.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of March, 1930.

CLARENCE LIPPER. 

